Don't Pay the Ferryman
by Gemini14
Summary: Captain Herlock: Endless Odyssey AU. When the Noo destroy a prison satellite, they unleash a force that will spell their downfall. Can the infamous father and son of the Harlock Clan overcome the forces of fear? Or will it overcome them?
1. Chaotic Reunion

Don't Pay the Ferryman

"Don't pay the Ferryman, don't even fix a price.

Don't pay the Ferryman, 'till he gets you to the other side."

Chris de Burgh

Chapter One: Chaotic Reunion

Explosions went off all around, as a man of about twenty-five or so made a mad dash for the hangar bay of a prison satellite.

"_This is what I get for trying to go too many things alone! Damn ship's too far out of range!_" the young man thought, before a piece of shrapnel passed through his right thigh, and he let out a yell of pain. He fell with a crash to the floor, grimacing as shockwaves traveled through his recently bruised ribs. Almost a week before, some bounty hunters had managed to catch him unawares and drag him to this satellite, where he'd spent the ensuing days being tortured.

"_If I_…._ever even come across_…._their reincarnations_…._they'll wish they'd never even chanced to hear about the Harlock name!_" the young man thought, venomously, as he painfully dragged himself across the ground towards one of the only undamaged one-man ships in the hangar. Before he could get to it, however, a ghostly image appeared in front of him.

"So, it's you again." the young man growled, as he felt for his weapons, feeling some relief when he found at least his blaster pistol on his hip.

"_You have been more than just troublesome, human. By all rights, you should have gone insane with fear by now. Why haven't you? Aren't you afraid of death?_" the image asked. The young man smirked, as he valiantly stood back up and looked the 'ghost' in the eye.

"I'm not afraid of anything. In fact, death is the last thing on my mind, right now. I intend to get out of here, find my ship and crew, and then blow you and yours to kingdom come….if there is any such thing waiting for you, at any rate." the young man said, as he began climbing the ladder on the side of the ship he'd chosen, disregarding the 'ghost' completely.

"_Insolent human! I will show you the true meaning of fear! Die!_" the 'ghost' screeched, as it disappeared, something impacted into the side of the satellite, and the wall began to buckle in.

"_Hope I can get this thing outta here and into space without getting crushed in the process!_" the young man's mind muttered, as his hands hurriedly typed in the command for the ship to get ready for flight. Seconds later, the satellite folded in on itself, then imploded into a brilliant ball of light that was soon gone.

……………………………………

Harlock roused up when he heard the telltale sound of glass cracking. At first, his tired mind told him that his cabin was depressurizing, and that he had to get out quickly; then it cleared, and he realized that nothing of that nature was happening.

"_Have got to stop staying up so late_….." Harlock mused, as he stiffly stood up and stretched. He'd fallen asleep at his desk yet again.

"_Don't say I didn't tell ya so, Harlock._" a spectral voice at the back of Harlock's mind chuckled, getting a deadpan look from the space pirate captain as a response.

"_Don't rub it in, Tochiro._" Harlock retorted, wincing when his back cracked, and he then relaxed and walked over to the wine cabinet. His expression deadpanned yet again when he saw that the bottle there was almost completely empty.

"_Lemme guess_….._La Miime strikes again?_" Tochiro joked.

"_In more ways than just one. Going almost twenty years without good wine, she's gone through just about everything in the storeroom. Including that jug of sake you could never quite finish._" Harlock 'muttered', smirking slightly when Tochiro gasped in astonishment.

"_That bad, huh? Sheesh_….._and that sake had been old to begin with! It was almost medicinal quality! Blech!_" Tochiro commented, as the image at the back of Harlock's mind shuddered at the thought of it. Harlock chuckled softly under his breath, then sobered. Something was bothering his friend to the point of restlessness, and he wanted to know what.

"_On another note, Tochiro, what're you doing talking to me like this? You usually don't do this unless something is amiss._" Harlock stated, as he sat back down and reclined back in the chair.

"_Something is up, but I can't tell what. The only clue I have is that that photo on the mantle's glass is cracked._" Tochiro's voice replied, as he drew Harlock's attention to the small, unassuming picture frame that was placed with care on the 'mantle'. To Harlock's shock, even from where he sat, he could see that the glass in the frame was indeed cracked. Without even knowing why, Harlock stood up again, slowly approached the 'mantle', picked up the picture frame, and ran his gloved fingertips gingerly over the surface. Inside the picture frame, there was a photo of a boy of about ten years of age. The boy's hair was windblown; brown locks straying into eyes of the same color. He was wearing the typical black jeans and skull and crossbones t-shirt of a crewmember, but there was evidence that he was more than that. There was an untamed wildness in his eyes that marked him as being of the same family line as the captain of the ship.

"_I wonder what he's doing now?_……_That son of yours' that could never quite sit still, even while on board?_" Tochiro mused, as a feeling of almost dread stole over Harlock as well.

"_I don't know_….._but I hope he is well. I don't know what I would do if I had to bury him like I had his mother._" Harlock replied, as he walked back over to the desk with the photo in hand; a troubled look gracing his scarred features as he did so.

"_Don't worry. It won't come to that. He's as tough as you are, so he'll live through whatever hardship he's run into. Trust me on this one._" Tochiro said, hoping to boost his friend's morale a little.

"_I believe that is all I can do, for the moment_…." Harlock replied, looking up when the alarms started blaring, and an urgent message came from the bridge.

"Captain! We're picking up some life readings in this area! They're faint, but close to where that prison satellite had been!" Kei Yuki's voice said, sounding noticeably shaken, yet trying to keep her voice calm.

"I'll be right up." Harlock stated, as he put his cloak back on, then started walking towards the door. Yet, before he could leave, he looked back at the photo of the ten-year-old boy.

"_I have a bad feeling about this_….." Harlock thought, grimly, as he turned off the lights and went to the bridge.

…………………………………….

Tadashi turned to look as the door at the back of the bridge opened, and the _Arcadia_'s captain walked in. Almost immediately he could tell that something was bothering the man; there was a chip in the older man's usually stony façade, and worry was making itself known: even if it was very slight.

"Where are the life readings coming from, Kei?" Harlock asked, his tone of voice not much different from before.

"There appears to be a small, one-man fighter near where the satellite had been. It's badly damaged, but the cockpit is still intact. Whoever is still in it had been very lucky." Kei replied, also seeming to notice that the captain seemed a little more on edge.

"Bring us in closer, and ready the tow-lines. I want to bring that fighter on board." Harlock ordered, getting an immediate compliance from all those involved.

"Thing is, Captain, is that ship is transmittin' some sort of distress signal…..and it's in the same frequency that….._Voice of Free Arcadia_…..had used….." another crewmember added, albeit hesitantly. This piece of information froze the captain right in his tracks.

"_Now that got his attention!_" Tadashi thought, as surprise and shock warred briefly for supremacy on the pirate captain's face.

"But who would use that frequency?…….No….." Harlock muttered, before snarling something furiously under his breath and charging from the bridge.

"What was that about?" Tadashi asked, turning a questioning gaze onto Kei as he said that.

"I don't know…..but I have the feeling we're about to find out! C'mon!" Kei shouted, as she left her post, and as Sabu and Tadashi did the same. Within moments, the trio found themselves just outside of the hangar, where a decidedly angry Captain Harlock now paced; hand gripping his sheathed space sword all the while.

"_I don't think I have ever seen him this agitated! What the heck is going on here?_" Tadashi wondered, as Yattaran and Doc Zero arrived behind them.

"Eesh, the Captain's furious! What happened that made him this angry?" Yattaran asked, careful to whisper so he wouldn't anger the taller man further. Tadashi shrugged.

"Got me. All I know is that he reacted to something having to do with an old radio program's frequency being used to transmit a distress signal." Tadashi explained. This got a widening of eyes from Yattaran (if that were even possible).

"But the only ones who would know about that frequency would be the Captain, those who had been alive during that time, and any family he might have left……" Yattaran murmured, as the sound of the tow line being launched came to their ears.

"Well, it seems we're about to find out why the Captain's so upset….." Kei said, softly.

"Oh, yeah." Tadashi muttered, as they listened to the winch begin to pull the fighter in.

…………………………………

The young man groaned as awareness slowly returned to him. He'd narrowly escaped the 'ghost's' deathtrap, and now floated who-knew-where, on the wrong end of the galaxy.

"_Guess I'm too far away for the distress signal to work_….._But, if I don't die out here, Emeraldas, Tochiro, and Zero will want to kill me for worrying them like this._" The young man mused, sighing as he floated weightlessly in the cockpit; the gravity mechanism having been disabled a short time before. He winced when his leg reminded him that he desperately needed medical attention, and the ache in his head where his helmet had met the control panel signaled that a concussion was likely.

"_Just perfect_….." the young man thought, sourly. He hated spending time in a sickbay, and his injuries (including the cracked ribs) only meant more time off his feet. He would have uttered a growl of frustration, if it hadn't been for something impacting the side of the damaged fighter.

"_Great. Now what?_" the young man wondered, as he felt the ship settle, and then begin to move again. When he chanced a look out from the starboard side, he got his answer; in the form of a giant black space battleship.

"_I don't believe it! It's the Arcadia! But who is the captain of her, now?_" the young man silently asked, as doubt and wonder warred within him, and as the battleship loomed ever closer……

………………………………….

Harlock listened tensely as the winch finally pulled the ship into the hangar, and as the hangar doors closed behind it. He barely even waited for the doors on his side to open before dashing in with his space-sword drawn and ready for a fight. Behind him, he could tell that members of his crew were curiously and concernedly watching as he approached the side of the fighter. The fighter was in terrible shape; the only words that could be used to describe its' appearance was that it looked as though it had been through an old-style dryer.

"_Or a blender._" Tochiro's ghostly voice added, as Harlock pulled one of the portable ladders up to the side of the craft.

"Captain, we don't know who or what is inside. Maybe you should wait until some thorough scans have been run….." Kei suggested, voicing the thoughts of the crew, but going pretty much ignored by the stubborn captain. Yet, no sooner did he reach the top of the ladder did the cockpit slowly begin to open. At first, all he could see was the smoke that was rising from the damaged flight console; then it cleared to reveal the badly injured pilot. The younger man's flight suit was bloodied and burnt, hinting at the violence of his escape. His right leg was covered with blood, all of it coming from a deep gash in the thigh. Other cuts and bruises could be easily seen through the tears in the material. But he couldn't see the younger man's face, since it was hidden by a helmet.

"_Good grief! He looks like he's been through a war zone!_" Tochiro yelped, 'voicing' Harlock's thoughts perfectly.

"_You're probably not far off the mark, old friend._" Harlock replied, as he reached in and started loosening the young man's safety harness. This got a soft moan from the other man.

"Take it easy. You've reached safety. Can you tell me what happened?" Harlock asked, quietly, as he worked on getting the younger man loose.

"Yeah……some zombies….trashed the prison satellite…..Then proceeded to try and kill me by imploding it around me……As you can see….it didn't quite work…." The young man gasped, uttering a yelp of pain when Harlock placed one arm behind his back, and one under his knees, and lifted him free of the cockpit.

"_Yep. Sounds like the Noo, all right._" Tochiro muttered, angrily. Harlock kept his thoughts to himself, as he carefully descended from the ladder, and placed the younger man on a waiting stretcher.

"What did those 'zombies' do to those on the satellite?" Harlock asked, even though he knew what the answer would be.

"They drove everyone nuts. Guards started shooting other guards and inmates, and the inmates who got their hands on weapons started killing each other off as well. I don't know what it was, but it was like their fear had gotten the better of them….." the younger man stated, thoughtfully.

"_He hit it right on the nose. This kid's sharp!_" Tochiro commented.

"_He is, indeed_…." Harlock silently agreed, as he watched Doc Zero approach to get a better look at the man on the stretcher. But what the younger man said next startled all of those gathered there.

"Have they tried the _Arcadia_ yet, Dad?" the younger man asked, with a hint of apprehension in his voice. The next thing Harlock knew, was that he was reaching down, and carefully removing the young man's helmet. There, lying before him on the stretcher, was an older version of the child in the photograph; very bloodied up, but alive.

"Young Harlock……." Harlock muttered, in utter shock and disbelief.

"Long time, no see, eh, Dad?" the younger space pirate asked, after a moment.

"Yes…." Harlock replied, almost too stunned to think of a good answer.

"_Son of a gun_…._to have survived a catastrophe like that and remained conscious for this long afterwards_….._He's your son, all right._" Tochiro muttered. Harlock only nodded slightly, then shamefully looked away. He had no right to see what kind of man his son had become….Not after he'd broken his promise to return; yet he turned to look again when a hand gripped his shoulder, and found Young Harlock gazing intently at him.

"Don't worry about that promise, Dad. It was one you didn't have to fulfill…..When you didn't return within five years' time, I assumed you had meant that I make my own way in the universe. I did it, but I didn't succeed alone. The bonds between the two families were too strong." Young Harlock murmured.

"_He must mean_….._my son is still alive! And that they'd teamed up to build a ship of their own!_" Tochiro's jubilant voice shouted, almost getting a mental wince from Harlock as a response.

"Have you launched your own _Arcadia_ yet?" Harlock asked. Young Harlock shook his head.

"No. So long as this _Arcadia_ sails, mine will not. There should never be two _Arcadia_s." Young Harlock replied, getting a rueful smile from Harlock in response to that.

"Sentimental, as always, Young Harlock." Kei chimed in, as she appeared before the young pirate.

"Hey, Kei. Glad to see that you haven't changed. Are you still sore with me for rigging your shower with the banana pepper sauce?" Young Harlock asked, snickering as some steam rose from Kei's ears, signaling that she still was.

"You'd better be glad that you're already injured, Young Harlock, since you still have to pay for that." Kei growled.

"Do tell." Young Harlock taunted, arching an eyebrow for added emphasis. Harlock only sighed as more banter passed between the two, and as Doc Zero started walking towards the sickbay (the stretcher was outfitted with repulsor-lifts, so no men were needed to lift and carry it).

"_Doesn't matter how much time passes, those two can still argue like siblings!_" Tochiro stated, and Harlock rolled his eye when an exceptionally loud 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!' came from Kei's mouth.

"_Oh yes. And I can only see it getting worse, as time goes on_….." Harlock agreed, as he followed them out, and closed the bay doors behind him when he knew that all were clear.

Author's Note!

Yes, I realize that I already have a few fics based on Captain Harlock posted, but there is a reason for this. So please, ignore what the other fics have in them, and take this story with a grain of salt, okay?

Gemini14


	2. Explanations

Chapter Two: Explanations

Young Harlock roused up when he heard the sickbay door open, and smiled when he saw his father come into view. For a few moments, there was awkward silence; just how did you open up a conversation with a man you had not seen since childhood?

"How are you feeling?" Harlock asked, quietly, after a few more uncertain moments. Young Harlock shrugged slightly.

"Fair. Ribs and leg still hurt, but they're healing, thanks to Doc Zero." Young Harlock replied, noticing when his father reclined in the chair he'd sat down in and sighed what seemed, to him, to be a sigh of relief.

"How're you holding up, Dad?" Young Harlock asked.

"I'm holding up all right...Considering we're now dealing with the undead." Harlock muttered, getting a chuckle from Young Harlock in response.

"Yeah, that isn't something that is normally handled by Space Pirates like us, is it?" Young Harlock asked, rhetorically.

"Certainly not. Give me a fleet of Illumidas or Mazone to blow away any day. Leave the zombies and the like to the onmyoji." Harlock grumbled.

"I agree with you on that. I'd rather take on some Machine Men than some possessed dead guys…..Oh, wait, that's what the Machine Men are……Scratch that thought, then." Young Harlock joked, getting a genuine laugh from his father in response. It had been a long time since Young Harlock had heard his father laugh; too long.

"_And he looked about ready to collapse last night. Guess my sudden appearance didn't help matters much._" Young Harlock mused, watching as his only remaining parent sobered, and looked steadily at him.

"Young Harlock, how did you come to be on that satellite to begin with?" Harlock asked, point blank. Young Harlock flinched.

"I got myself into a situation I should've avoided……I was on one of the backwater worlds near the Flame Stream Prominence when I got cornered. It was a situation I thought I could handle, so I didn't bother to call for help….The next thing I knew was that I was waking up in a cell, and that I was on my way to the prison satellite." Young Harlock said, quietly. Harlock sighed and rubbed his only remaining eye with his right hand. He could have guessed as much.

"_He's a true Harlock, all right._" Harlock mused, as he looked at his rather ashamed-looking son and nodded for him to continue.

"When I arrived at the satellite, it was business as usual there. Things were running normally, and there was no sign that anything weird was about to happen. When they got me into the questioning room, Dad, the questions they asked me were of things only you would know about….The attacks on the Illumidas battle groups, and so on. Since I didn't know too much about any of that, I remained silent; and they took my silence to mean I wasn't going to reveal anything at all. Then they called this big, ugly Machine Man in and, well……The rest, as they say, is history." Young Harlock stated, motioning to his bandaged chest for added emphasis. Harlock growled and nodded.

"Doc Zero had told me that you had said that you'd been there for almost a week. Why did you stay there for so long, even though they were beating you?" Harlock asked. In response, he got a sorrowful look from his son.

"I saw a member of a crew I had served with when I was still in the Earth Federation. She'd been captured and 'converted' during one of the many attacks by the Machine Men during the war, but I hadn't known her fate until I saw her on that satellite. She didn't even recognize me, Dad…..but, then again, I should have expected as much. When the Machine Men 'convert' people, they do their best not to leave anything even remotely human behind. They erase emotions, the very essence of the soul, and leave nothing. They think of themselves as immortals, but all they are…..all they can be, are the undead." Young Harlock murmured, as he gazed somberly at his hands; having lowered his gaze so his father could not see all of the anguish in his eyes. He did not realize that his only parent was giving him a look of equal pain.

"_History is always repeating itself, where it is forgotten. My own son is a grim testimony to that. The Machine War_…._a war I have only heard mere rumors about during my solitude on the Planet of Rubbish Heaps, was as horrible a reality to him, as the Illumidas War and occupation had been to me. I should have been there._" Harlock thought, as guilt placed its weighted claws on his shoulders. His son, his own flesh and blood, had suffered through almost the same thing he had, two and a half decades before….and he'd been too busy wallowing in his own self-pity and grief to come to his aid when he was needed.

"_I've always been a lousy father. Young Harlock deserved so much better than what he got._" Harlock mused, bitterly.

"_Don't be so hard on yourself. You couldn't have known what kind of pain Young Harlock was going through, and it isn't like he would have told you, anyway. He is your son, after all_…._Stubborn and proud to a fault. Just like you._" Tochiro's ghostly voice stated, matter-of-factly. Harlock mentally sighed and nodded.

"_True enough, old friend. True enough. But it still doesn't excuse the fact that I have been absent from his life for fifteen years._" Harlock replied, as he placed a hand on his son's left shoulder, getting an unreadable look from Young Harlock in response.

"Stay here and rest for a little while longer. When you feel up to it, come to the bridge. We'll discuss the next course of action there." Harlock said, getting a nod from his son in answer to that.

"Will do. Besides, I need to get in contact with my ship and crew, anyway. They're likely to kill me for not letting them know that I am at least alive." Young Harlock joked, yet his tone was a bit more subdued than before.

"I know the feeling." Harlock muttered, remembering a handful of times when even Tochiro had held him at gunpoint for worrying him and the crew of the _Arcadia_.

………………………….

It was several hours later when Young Harlock finally arrived on the bridge. On the way there, he'd been waylaid by La Miime (who'd given him a warm hug, and something that resembled a kiss on the cheek as a welcome back), and had even been given a model to work on when he returned to the sickbay…..Though he was a little surprised that the first mate would part with one of his cherished model kits, even if he was the son of the captain.

"_Okay, now I am ready to accept whatever fate my crew and friends have in store for me_……_Well, almost any fate_…._I'm sure Tochiro has some sort of punishment waiting where I would least expect it._" Young Harlock mused, his expression deadpanning when he remembered some of the more humiliating and disgusting 'punishments' Tochiro (and sometimes even Emeraldas) thought up. As he entered the bridge area, he knew his father and the crew of the _Arcadia_ has seen his expression, since some of them were snickering at his expense (his father, on the other hand, only smirked and shook his head. He knew only too well what his son was expecting, especially from someone like Tochiro).

"You ready, Young Harlock?" Kei asked, still giggling somewhat as she prepared the communications unit for use.

"Yeah…..I'm just kind of wondering how they are going to react. After all, the last place they would expect me to be is on the bridge of a ship that isn't supposed to exist anymore." Young Harlock replied, as he stood where he was and looked up as the sensors picked up on one of the distant ships' individual warp traces, getting the attention of those on board almost immediately.

"This is the _Queen Emeraldas_. Emeraldas speaking. What do you want?" a woman's voice asked, as the owner appeared on the screen.

"Greetings. This is Harlock, captain of the _Arcadia_. I believe you are searching for someone?" Harlock asked, rhetorically. At first, the woman froze where she was in shock; her eyes widening when she realized just who she was speaking to.

"Yes! Uh…..I mean…..yes sir!" Emeraldas said, in uncharacteristic excitement (after all, it wasn't everyday that one would get the chance to meet a living legend).

"I'm right here, Emeraldas." Young Harlock stated, from his position just below the ship's wheel. The female space pirate gave him a look of consternation.

"How in the whole of the Sea of Stars did you get there, of all places!" Emeraldas questioned, in utter amazement at the younger Harlock's luck. Young Harlock shrugged.

"Fate, I suppose. But Emeraldas, there's an even bigger problem that has just cropped up that you, Tochiro, and Zero need to know about…Can you contact them for me?" Young Harlock asked, with seriousness and urgency emerging in his usually carefree gaze that Emeraldas could not ignore.

"I'll do what I can. I don't think they've gone too far out of range….If anything, they've probably been listening in on the conversation." Emeraldas murmured, then added, "What about you? Aren't you going to contact your own crew?"

"I imagine I'll get the chance to talk to them later on…..and I think my father wants to have a word with Tochiro and Zero as well when they get here. In the meantime, I'm going to go find a place to sleep. There'll be little enough time for it, later." Young Harlock said, actually looking a little tired as he said that. Emeraldas noticed this, and nodded.

"Okay. But you'd better watch out. Tochiro is pretty upset with you for disappearing like that, and might take a swing or two at you with his sword when he sees you next." Emeraldas warned.

"I'll keep that in mind. See ya in a few hours, Emeraldas." Young Harlock said, before the transmission was cut, and he slumped back against the base of the wheel with a sigh.

"You all right?" Tadashi asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine…..Didn't think that just standing here would take all that much energy, though." Young Harlock replied, as he rubbed his eyes with one hand, then placed the hand to his leg, wincing slightly when it throbbed in response to the touch.

"Go back to the sickbay and rest. I'll let you know if I get in touch with your ship." Harlock ordered. Young Harlock made a move to obey, but was prevented from going anywhere when yet another transmission came in.

"This is the space battleship _Karyu_, formerly of the Terrestrial Military Fleet, requesting permission to speak to your captain, unidentified vessel." A man's voice stated, officially. Harlock prevented himself from smiling; he'd been out of touch with the earth for so long, that even the military had forgotten about him!

"This is Captain Harlock, of the _Arcadia_. What can I do for you, _Karyu_?" Harlock asked, as the image of a man appeared on the visual. He could see that the other man was taken aback by his appearance and name, but continued on, regardless.

"I know this may sound ridiculous to you, but have you seen a man going by the same name?" the other captain asked.

"I have, as a matter of fact. He's aboard my ship at the moment." Harlock replied, giving Young Harlock a glance that said 'Well? Explain yourself'. Young Harlock cleared his throat, then addressed the man on the other end of the transmission.

"I suppose this means I get the firing squad, doesn't it, Zero?" Young Harlock asked, as the disgruntled expression again made its' presence known on the other man's features.

"Indeed….How did you end up there?" Zero asked, noticing that his friend seemed tired and had a slightly pained expression on his face.

"Long story…..Let's just say that things got a little more explosive than I intended." Young Harlock said, getting a slight smirk and a nod from Zero in response.

"Knowing you, I wouldn't doubt it. Are you all right?" Zero asked, with some concern for his friend and comrade.

"Yeah, but the prison satellite where I was being held didn't fare so well." Young Harlock replied.

"We have received a number of distress signals from all over space, but most of them didn't make sense….It's almost as though the senders of the signals were overwhelmed by panic and fear." A woman said, as she appeared on the screen beside Zero.

"I would expect that to be the case, First Officer, since the foe we are currently dealing with is fear itself." Harlock stated, grimly. This got some disbelieving looks from both Zero and the First Officer.

"I would ask you to explain in detail, sir, but this is not the time nor the place for a discussion. Where do you suggest we meet?" Zero asked, wisely; getting a slight, approving nod from the elder Harlock as a response.

"I'm sending the coordinates for the proper meeting place now. Pass them along to the _Queen Emeraldas_, and Young Harlock's ship…Meet me there." Harlock ordered, looking somewhat bemused when Zero and the First Officer gave him a crisp salute.

"We'll be there." Zero replied, before he cut the transmission and the screen went blank.

"Emeraldas and Zero weren't as angry as I thought they'd be…..but Tochiro will be another story, entirely." Young Harlock muttered, as he tiredly rubbed his eyes and settled back against the wheelbase.

"True. But try not to worry about it too much until the time comes. Believe me, you'll be better able to explain yourself if you're well rested." Harlock advised, having learned that particular lesson from experience.

"I'll take your word for it. See ya in a few, then." Young Harlock said, as he started to walk back to the sickbay, limping a little as he left the bridge.

"He's beginning to worry me." Kei stated, as she and the rest of the crew watched him go.

"How so?" Tadashi asked.

"He's usually so ornery that you just about have to have eyes in the back of your head just to make sure he doesn't pull some sort of prank on you. He didn't even try it, this time." Kei murmured, worriedly.

"Time has a way of changing people, Kei. And he was pretty seriously injured as well. Don't expect too much of what was normal fifteen years ago, until he's well rested and has talked to his own crew. After that…..we'll see." Harlock said, as he also stood and walked out of the bridge.

"Is it just me, or does he seem more talkative than when I first met him?" Tadashi asked.

"It ain't just you, kid. He struck me as kinda silent when I first came aboard too. Maybe findin' his son was a good way to help him heal from some emotional wounds, as well." Sabu said.

"Maybe….." Tadashi muttered; making a mental note to have a word with Young Harlock later about that…..if there was any time to, that is.


	3. Discoveries

Chapter Three: Discoveries

When the _Arcadia_ arrived in the area where the meeting would take place, Harlock was rather pleased to find that three battleships waited there.

"_Seems as though one of them was able to reach Young Harlock's ship._" Tochiro's voice stated, as Harlock took in the sight.

"_Indeed. Though there seems to be something familiar about it_…." Harlock mused, then glanced down at Kei.

"Kei, as you know, we must keep radio silence through here. This means the radio must also be kept quiet on board as well." Harlock said, getting what could only be described as a disgusted look from Kei as a response.

"And you want me to go and get Young Harlock's butt out of bed, correct?" Kei asked, her left eye twitching as she said that.

"You could say that. Tell him that we're in the vicinity of the base." Harlock ordered, getting a rather blasé 'Okay, whatever' type of reply from Kei before she left the bridge.

"She really doesn't like this task, does she?" Tadashi asked, with a slight smirk of his own.

"Nope. Has never liked it, as far back as I can recall." One of the other crewmembers stated, as all on the bridge gazed at what looked like a normal asteroid field.

"_But what could possibly be out here that would be of any interest to pirates?_" Tadashi wondered, as the _Arcadia_ continued to move farther into the field.

……………………………

Kei grumbled angrily under her breath as she made her way to the sickbay. Once again she was reprising her role as a babysitter for the unruly son of her beloved captain. And, once again, she found herself hating it.

"_Why do I, of all people, have to keep doing this? He's old enough to get himself out of bed!_" Kei fumed, as she marched up to the doors of the sickbay. She was a little surprised when she entered, however; the bed was empty (yet apparently had been slept in), and the younger space pirate was standing in front of one of the windows, quietly watching the asteroids drift past. It was then that Kei noticed that the top part of his flight suit had been lowered, exposing his top half….and its' multitude of scars….to her.

"_What the_…._! What the hell happened to him! How did he get all of those scars?_" Kei's mind shouted, as horror and some anger emerged in her soul. All over his back and shoulders (and undoubtedly across his chest and stomach as well) there were deep scars, the remains of blaster bolts that had etched themselves into his skin.

"_Oh, Young Harlock_….." Kei thought, as tears came to her eyes. She'd had no idea that he'd been scarred so badly…..

"Young Harlock?" Kei asked, softly. He jumped slightly, and turned to face her.

"Kei….what's wrong? Why're you crying?" Young Harlock asked, in turn, having noticed her tears and becoming concerned for her.

"What happened to you? How did you get so many wounds?" Kei questioned, her voice wavering as she took in the sight of the healed-over wounds on the young man's body.

"I got these trying to rescue a friend…..Unfortunately, I couldn't reach her and I almost died for my efforts….. Found her again on the satellite, but she'd been 'converted'. She had no memory of who I was…. And even watched as I was being beaten….Kei, what could people possibly be thinking when they choose such a fate? What goes through their minds as they throw away their humanity?" Young Harlock asked, as an overwhelming sadness permeated the air between them.

"I don't know….Heck, I don't even know what goes through normal people's minds, much less people who choose to have such a thing done to them. But, I'm sure that her soul was set free when that satellite was destroyed." Kei murmured, as she stood alongside the younger man and looked out the window as well.

"You think so?" Young Harlock again asked; sounding very uncertain.

"Yeah. Absolutely. I have the feeling that, as you were being tortured, her soul was screaming at them to stop; but there was nothing she could do, since her body was so detached from what was going on in front of it…..And it must have been her spirit that protected your ship when you were trying to escape from there." Kei said.

"Maybe….." Young Harlock mused, aloud, as he continued to look out the window at the asteroids that were drifting past.

"Seems like the Galaxy Railways are starting to go through here now…." Young Harlock murmured, after a few moments of silence; watching as a distant space train flew through the asteroid field.

"Yeah….and it's even more necessary now than ever to silence the radio frequencies the _Arcadia_ emits while we're in this area….We can't afford having the SDF or the Terrestrial Military finding out where the SSX Base is." Kei said, thoughtfully.

"That's true." Young Harlock agreed, then added, "So much has changed since my two years on board…..To be quite honest with you, I never thought I would actually find myself back here, aboard the _Arcadia_…….A part of me wishes to stay on board, and the other part knows that I am now a captain in my own right…..that I have my own crew and ship to consider."

"You've grown up so much……I never thought I'd hear you say something like that." Kei whispered, shocked and, at the same time, saddened, to hear those words from the son of her captain. Young Harlock then gave her a ghost of a smile.

"With all that has happened to me, Kei, I've had to grow up….and quickly. The real world is no place for the naïve or the inexperienced. If one is not careful, it would eat them alive, body and soul, before the person is even aware that something is wrong…..I should know….I've seen it happen. And I'm sure Dad has seen that sort of thing happen, too. It was the decadence of the politicians in control that prevented us from being prepared for the Machine Men when they attacked….and it was because of them that men like Zero lost their families and friends in the bombings that followed." Young Harlock said, his voice soft and his eyes distant; almost as though he was reviewing the events of his all-too-recent past in his mind. Yet, he was startled back to the present when Kei gently embraced him; wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her head on his scarred chest.

"I wish I could have been there to protect you from all that…..The way you look now is the exact same way the Captain looks when he thinks of what happened during the Illumidas Occupation….Haunted and deeply scarred in his heart…." Kei murmured, then added, "I hate seeing that in you…."

"I guess that's the only route a Harlock can go…..and yet, tragedy seems to strengthen instead of weaken us. I mean, look at my father; he could have given up when the Illumidas killed my mother, but, despite the sorrow, he fought on. We wouldn't even be here discussing this if he'd allowed them to break his spirit like that." Young Harlock stated, quietly.

"True. But my memory of you has always been that of the boy you once were; happy, carefree,….innocent. It kills me inside when I see so much pain in your eyes." Kei admitted, then added, "Even when you smile, I can see it." She was a bit surprised when Young Harlock slowly wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle hug in return.

"I'm sorry to have worried you and everyone else on board. It wasn't my intention. You, my father, and the crew of the _Arcadia_ are my family….and I need to remember that before I make any more rash decisions……I don't want the only family I have ever known to grieve." Young Harlock murmured, as he rested his chin on top of Kei's head; unknowingly comforting her when he did that.

"You certainly have become a man your father can be proud of…..that the crew of the _Arcadia_ can be proud of. It's hard to believe that you're the same kid that used to play all of those crazy pranks on us." Kei said, as she removed her head from his chest and gave him a smile. Young Harlock answered that with a very slight smirk.

"If you really want to know, it was Tochiro Sr. that I learned a lot of that stuff from." Young Harlock stated, to his own defense. Kei arched an eyebrow.

"You don't say? That would explain all those times that whoopee cushions would be found in our positions but almost never in your father's chair." Kei said, grinning when she heard some laughter escape from the younger pirate captain.

"Well, Dad always seemed to know when we'd try to put one in his seat, and usually moved it to yours' before anyone else was on deck." Young Harlock commented, as a deep red blush sneaked across Kei's face.

"You mean the Captain was the one who did that! And to think I'd always assumed that it was Tochiro's doing!" Kei yelped, shocked that the stoic captain she'd thought she'd known so well had done such a thing.

"You'd be surprised. I think, when he had a mind for it, Dad could be even worse than Tochiro Sr. had been." Young Harlock said, as he pulled the top part of his flight suit back up, covering his top half and hiding its scars once again.

"I think I'll take your word for it." Kei muttered, then added, "By the way, the Captain told me to tell you that we're in the vicinity of the base, and that he wants you on deck before we get there."

"Let's not keep him waiting, then." Young Harlock replied, when he'd finished fastening the hidden buttons in the flight suit's top part, and started walking towards the sickbay door.

………………………………………

Harlock didn't even look when he heard his son and Kei arrive on deck. From what he could tell, the two were in better spirits than what they had been earlier.

"Are you feeling better, Young Harlock?" Harlock asked.

"Yeah." Young Harlock replied, then looked out at the asteroid field.

"It's been awhile since we were last here…..Wonder if any of the booze is still good?" one of the crewmen murmured, getting a confused look from Tadashi while he was at it.

"We'll soon find out. Send the signal to the base." Harlock ordered, quietly. This got an immediate flurry of activity in response to the order, and Tadashi watched in awe as one of the asteroids opened up; revealing a hidden, manmade base.

"Captain, it looks like someone is already here." Kei stated, from her position at the communications controls.

"See if you can raise them on the comm." Harlock replied, coolly.

"Will do!" Kei complied, as she started trying to hail the smaller vessel that was already within the base.

"Miss Kei…..it's your ship! It's the _Flourite_! What's it doing here?" Sabu asked, when he recognized the ship sitting there.

"I'm trying to find out. There! I've found the signal…now let's see who has taken over…." Kei murmured, as the visual scanners picked up the signal.

"Greetings to all on the _Arcadia_! It has been a while, Harlock." a woman's voice said, as a familiar, flame-haired woman appeared on the screen before them.

"Lady Emeraldas!" Young Harlock yelped, as a genuine look of joy replaced the somber look on the elder Harlock's face.

"Young Harlock! You have certainly grown up on me! And from the looks of things, so has my own son." Lady Emeraldas said, smiling when the faces of those on the other ships appeared on her screen.

"How long have you been waiting, Emeraldas?" Harlock asked.

"Not long, actually. I emerged from hiding a short time before you did and came here when things got too hot. If you would believe it, we were actually neighbors on the Planet of Rubbish Heaps." Emeraldas said, smiling when a somewhat surprised look appeared on her old friend's face.

"And I never even knew…..Sorry to keep you waiting." Harlock apologized, managing to look abashed by his actions.

"Don't worry about it. I knew you were still grieving, and that my presence wouldn't have helped matters much." Emeraldas amended, then added, "Might as well come on in. We can't very well continue this conversation like this, can we?"

"No, we can't. The risk of being seen in this area is too great." Harlock said, as he directed the _Arcadia_ into the brightly lit bay; giving the unspoken signal to the other three ships for them to follow.

"I think it's a little late for that precaution, since one of the SDF trains is now hailing us." the captain of the _Karyu_ muttered.

"Let them land as well. If anything, they're probably about as confused as the rest of space about the disappearance of earth." Harlock stated, as the _Arcadia_ settled into its' long unused dock, and as the _Karyu_, _Queen Emeraldas_, and Young Harlock's ship came to rest alongside it.

Author's Note!

Yeah, this chapter was a bit odd, But I am trying to get past writer's block! Hope this was okay otherwise!

Gemini14


	4. Pasts and Futures

Chapter Four

The general feeling of those gathered at the front of the ships was one of genuine relief as one crew was reunited with its' captain, and another captain found himself in the presence of an old friend.

"It is so good to see you again, Harlock. Fifteen years is too long to stay out of touch." Lady Emeraldas murmured, as she hugged the elder Harlock and gazed fondly (and a bit concernedly) at him.

"I know, and again I apologize. Grief tends to make people do strange things, sometimes." Harlock replied, noticing that the older Emeraldas was looking at his lean frame and knowing that she could see how much weight he'd lost.

"No need for that. I understand. We both miss Tochiro; and time doesn't really help to heal the wounds left by losing a friend like him..." Lady Emeraldas said, then added, "But that doesn't give you the excuse to starve yourself to skin and bones. I don't think your crew really wants a real skull and crossbones in their midst." Before Harlock could reply, Young Harlock blazed past; shouting an abrupt 'Scuse me!' as he did so. The reason for the bizarre action was explained when Tochiro Jr flashed by, his katana raised as he shouted obscenities in Japanese at the retreating young German.

"...And thus, history is repeated..." Harlock muttered, as amused chuckles and guffaws rose from the two space pirate crews and those of the _Karyu_ and the SDF train.

"Phantom Harlock, captain of the Solar Federation vessel known as the _Deathshadow_. You're looking better than I thought you would, considering it's been over twenty years since I saw you last." a man said, as he approached the group, and casting a slight exasperated look at the still enraged Japanese man chasing his friend with the sword.

"Schwartzbald Bulge. Time has done little to change you, as well." Harlock said, nodding to the crewmen and women that were emerging from the space train to get a good look at the legendary base's interior.

"It's hard to believe that this place had never been found before now. It's massive!" one of the female members of the train's crew murmured, her bright blue eyes wide with amazement and wonder at the size of the place.

"An intelligent friend built this base to keep our presences hidden when the ships needed repairs. It is by chance that you have ended up here." Harlock stated, grimly.

"It was, indeed. If we didn't happen to stumble across your signal when you were entering this base, then we would never have found any of you." Bulge said, noticing when Young Harlock and Tochiro finally agreed to a truce (for the time being) and rejoined those standing in front of the _Arcadia_.

"While that may well be the case, why did you invite us here, sir? Aren't we a threat to the secrecy of this base?" one of Zero's crew asked.

"It depends. I think what he wants to discuss is the disappearance of earth, and what it means to the whole of space." Lady Emeraldas replied, speaking for the elder Harlock in that one instance.

"I believe I can trust you and yours' to keep this base's location a secret, Captain Zero, and you as well, Captain Bulge...Besides, I think this is the only place in space right now where we can hold any sort of meeting to decide what must be done." Harlock said, coolly.

"And by 'decision' you mean what we should do to get the earth back, right?" one of the women from the space train asked, out of turn.

"Yes." Harlock answered, looking aside when La Miime appeared and started handing out glasses to each of the people standing there.

"Uh...sir...if I may ask...why is she handing us these?" one young man questioned, confusion taking up residence on his youthful features as he said that.

"Yes, La Miime, what do you have in mind?" Harlock asked, as the alien woman handed him and Lady Emeraldas a glass apiece as well and gave them both a wistful look in response.

"It was twenty-five years ago today that you took that fateful trip to Tokarga to try and save Zoll's family...I thought you may have forgotten, Captain." La Miime said, as a sad expression appeared on the elder pirate captain's scarred face.

"I could never forget, La Miime. Fill the glasses." Harlock ordered. Somberly, the alien woman did as she was told and filled each person's glass with wine from the _Arcadia_'s wine cabinet.

"Is this what you do every time you come here, Harlock?" Bulge asked, giving the other man a quizzical look as he watched La Miime fill his glass.

"No. This is to remember those who shouldn't have died...Men and women who were victims of destiny itself." Young Harlock said, bitterly, noticing when one of Bulge's crew gave him a look of shock.

"Phantom, it's good to see that you aren't dead!" the youngest member of Bulge's crew shouted, sounding relieved when he realized who was standing there. Young Harlock grinned.

"You should know that it isn't that easy to kill a Harlock, Manabu." Young Harlock replied, smirking at his father's surprised expression as they approached one another and shook hands.

"But you sure had me worried, though. And my mom too, for that matter. When we heard of the death toll on the _Vengeance_, we automatically assumed that you'd died with the rest." Manabu said, as he gripped Young Harlock's hand tightly, as though to assure himself that his friend was truly there in front of him.

"I survived...barely. I was so torn up that the doctors thought my next stop would be the morgue, but I lived to fight another day." Young Harlock admitted, casting a glance at Bulge and the rest of the train's crew and his father as he said that.

"I'm glad of that." Manabu said, noticing that the elder Harlock was almost staring at him.

"I may be making a wild guess, but are you a member of the Yuuki family?" Harlock asked, breaking his momentary silence.

"Yeah. I'm the son of Captain Wataru Yuuki of the Sirius Platoon. My name is Manabu Yuuki, sir." Manabu replied, calmly and respectfully. Harlock nodded.

"Your father was a brave man, Manabu. The Sea of Stars could do with more like him." Harlock stated, sadly.

"You knew Manabu's father as well, Dad?" Young Harlock asked, in disbelief.

"Yes. If you would believe it, Wataru Yuuki actually saved my skin once." Harlock admitted.

"And with you actually telling us, this means you respected him to a very high degree. You held him in as high a regard as you did my husband and me." Lady Emeraldas stated, knowing that, in a normal circumstance, Harlock would never have told them anything of the sort; unless he truly respected the deceased's actions and character. Harlock nodded.

"And that is all the more reason to raise a glass to them for their brave actions. The proof that we need to honor their memory." Zero said, quietly. This got a unanimous agreement from all who stood there.

"In the Tokargan tongue, there is one word that connects all friends to one another in the bonds of friendship. Harlock and Lady Emeraldas already know this word, but it is time for a new generation to learn it, so the Tokargan race's memory can live on." La Miime stated, as she took 'center stage' and raised her own glass as she did so.

"And what word is that?" Manabu questioned, his voice wavering with some emotion.

"Gohram!" La Miime replied, and as those behind and around her repeated it.

"_For Maya, Tochiro, and the whole of the Tokargan race!_" Harlock thought, as he drank some wine from his glass.

"_For my mother, Tochiro Sr., and the crew of the __Vengeance_" Young Harlock added, mentally.

"_For my brother and father, who bravely went to their deaths in the line of duty._" Manabu mused, adding to the thoughts of the two pirate captains.

"_For my wife and daughter, and the families of my crew._" Zero also thought.

"Gohram!"

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Hours later, Harlock found himself, once again, in front of Young Harlock's ship.

"You look lost in thought, Uncle." Tochiro said, grinning as he walked over to the elder pirate captain.

"Yes. I'm trying to remember where I have seen this ship before. It seems familiar to me, for some reason." Harlock admitted, quietly.

"Why don't you come aboard, then? Maybe something in there will help you remember." Tochiro suggested.

"Maybe...Is this ship's captain on board already?" Harlock asked.

"He should be. I think he's getting ready to leave so he'll be ready when you give the signal." Tochiro said, as he led the way to the entrance hatch. Almost as soon as he entered, Harlock felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. There was indeed something familiar about this ship!

"The interior looks almost like that of an overhauled Solar Federation vessel...Did you salvage this from a scrap yard, by any chance?" Harlock questioned, as he ran a gloved hand along the wall.

"Yep, sure did. Figured you'd be able to tell, just be looking at it, since you were once a captain in the Solar Federation." Tochiro said, then added, "The captain of this fine vessel is on deck, if you want to ask him for the name." With only a nod, Harlock walked off.

"_I think things will soon come full circle. Don't you think so too, Dad?_" Tochiro mused, as he watched the elder pirate captain disappear around a corner.

"_Oh yeah_..._and high time, too._" Tochiro Sr agreed, in the back of his own son's mind.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Young Harlock turned when he heard someone arrive on deck, and smiled when he saw that it was his father.

"Hey, Dad." Young Harlock greeted.

"Hey. This is quite an impressive vessel." Harlock said, admiring the workmanship on the restored control deck.

"Thanks. Tochiro pulled her from a junkheap and put her back together a short while before I left the Terrestrial Military." Young Harlock murmured, then added, "This was once a Solar Federation battleship."

"I know. Tochiro Jr had told me that much...but said that I should come to you for the name." Harlock stated, getting an unreadable smile from his son for a response.

"Count on Tochiro..." Young Harlock muttered, grumbling something in German under his breath before continuing, "Dad, this is the _DeathShadow_." For a few moments, Harlock almost felt as though time, and his heart, had momentarily stopped.

"Run that by me again?" Harlock murmured, his mind not fully comprehending what he'd just heard.

"This is your _DeathShadow_, Dad." Young Harlock said, noticing when his father, who was normally very reserved and stoic, actually started moving around the deck, stopping when he reached a certain point and gazing out with an almost tear-filled look in his eye.

"I can hardly believe it...And yet, I have the proof before me. This is the very spot where I stood and heard your mother's broadcast for the first time...and it was the last time I was in command of this vessel...Things have indeed come full circle." Harlock almost whispered, then collected himself enough to give his son a proud look.

"I may not be a member of your crew, Dad, but we are fighting under the same flag." Young Harlock stated, bringing up the promise that had been made all that time ago.

"True...and that is how it should be." Harlock said, then added, "We'll be leaving in about two hours time. Be ready."

"Will do." Young Harlock agreed, as he watched his father walk from the deck and back down the hall towards the hatch.

"Captain, should I issue the order for all hands to get to their stations?" one of the crewmen asked, as he turned to Young Harlock for an answer.

"Go ahead. And be sure that the _Karyu_, _Queen Emeraldas_, and _Big One_ know about this as well." Young Harlock ordered, slipping back into his role of captain easier than even he had expected.

"Yes sir!" the crewman responded, as he started calling all hands to attention. Within the hour, the three battleships and the train were ready to go.

"I want you all to stick as close to the _Arcadia_ as you can. Under no circumstances are any of you to wander off on your own until this business is done. Am I clear on this?" Harlock asked, from his position on the bridge of the _Arcadia_.

"Crystal clear." Zero murmured, in response; knowing that it was wiser in this circumstance to follow the older captain's battlefield experience and instincts in this situation.

"No objections here." Bulge stated, speaking for his own crew when he said that.

"We're with you one hundred percent, Dad...Let's just hope that you won't need a crowbar to get our ships apart afterwards." Young Harlock jokingly added, earning him a slight smirk from his parent for that.

"I certainly hope not." Harlock muttered, then turned his head to look at Lady Emeraldas.

"Before you ask, Harlock; yes, I am certain about my decision to remain on board this ship...Since the _Queen Emeraldas_ is now under new command, and Kei's ship can't make the journey, it is wiser to stay here. You don't object, do you?" Lady Emeraldas asked.

"No, I don't." Harlock quietly replied, then silently added, "_It is good to fight alongside an old friend again._"

"_You know it._" Tochiro Sr's voice stated, matter-of-factly, knowing that Lady Emeraldas could 'hear' him as well.

"Then let's go. The fight isn't going to come to us." Young Harlock said, as he gave the order to stand by to exit the base.

"Got that right." Tochiro agreed, from his position on the _DeathShadow_'s bridge. The younger Emeraldas, and Captain Bulge also quietly agreed. It was now or never.

"_Arcadia_...Hasshin." Harlock murmured, as his ship responded to the verbal command, and the mighty engines roared to life once again. The endless odyssey was about to begin...and it would carry all of them into an uncertain future...

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Chief Illita could only shake his head in utter amazement as he looked upon the reports that had just been handed to him. Just when he'd thought he'd understood the situation, something else had come along to throw everything into confusion again. And that 'something else' had just proven to be the only living relative of his nemesis.

"_Why hadn't there been any recent reports on the actions and whereabouts of Harlock's son? We had his military records and even his birth certificate, and yet we __still__ were caught unawares when he suddenly appeared in this case!_" Illita thought, in frustration, as he glared at the glossy photograph of a young man in his early twenties; his wild untamable spirit seeming to spill from it and into the room around it. Of course, Illita remembered the rumors about Harlock's late lover, the Voice of Radio Free Arcadia, Maya, having the pirate's son during the war with the Illumidas. He could even remember when he'd been called upon to look into the disappearance of a badly wounded soldier going by the Harlock name, after the overrunning of the _Vengeance_ by the Machine Men. And yet, it had not occurred to him, even then, that the young man had been directly related to the notorious space pirate.

"_And now he's on the loose as well_..._This situation could not get any worse._" Illita thought, growling slightly at the idea of the two Space Pirates roaming the vast regions of unmanned space side by side.

Author's Note!

Yeah, I realize that some things may be corny about this chapter, but it has been a liong while since I last updated this story. I can only hope it wasn't too bad.

Gemini14


End file.
